City council has unusually short meeting

With only four items under new business, the city council had very little to discuss and wrapped up the meeting in only 25 minutes. Previous meetings have usually lasted anywhere between one to three hours.

Not everyone was in attendance at Monday's meeting either. Council Member Todd Cohen was ill and City Administrator Larry Paine was out of town.

But those council members in attendance did discuss and unanimously approve all of the items under new business, including an ordinance setting the water rate for out-of-town customers.

Utility Director Terry McKinney said the water rate for out-of-town customers needed to be increase to match the rate increase set for city customers last month.

"We inadvertently forgot the out-of-town customers," McKinney said. "This is just to bring them up where they should be, the same percentages and everything."

The ordinance establishes the water rates at 175 percent of the rates charged to city water users for the monthly fee and the cost of 100 cubic feet of water used.

In other business, the city council:

Approved 4-0 the funding calendar for a Series 2002 Electric Utility Revenue bond to construct the Capital Improvement Projects that was approved in January.

At the next meeting, the council will decide whether to approve the authorization to sell the bonds.

Approved 4-0 to close Eighth Street south of High Street for the Phi Mu Sorority's benefit for the Children's Miracle Network between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on April 26.